Wednesday, October 03, 2007

What Are Mess Map Diagrams and Mess Mapping Processes? - 5

This is the fifth in a series of "blogicles" on how Mess Mapping™ and Resolution Mapping™
processes that can be used to represent, analyze, evaluate Wicked Problems
and then to choose actions that ameliorate the Wicked Problem at hand.

A Mess Mapping™ process is a set of structured group methods
for collecting, sharing, organizing and evaluating information regarding a Wicked
Problems. A Mess Map™ diagram or mural represents a common mental model of the
problem at hand that shows the important “chunks” of information and their
relationships with other “chunks.”

It is quite usual to be mystified initially by the look and feel of
a Mess Map digram and perhaps to be put off by the tightly packed
complexity. However, it is useful to remember that you are looking at
the final product, not the steps along the way.

Moreover, the Mess Map digram was not made for you to look at, but
for the task group who was involved in every step of the way, from the
initial (almost blank) template to the final product. It contains
their words, their arrows and their boxes. It was not made for
outsiders to find it attractive or informative (although they often
do).

Perhaps looking at some of the most important components of a Mess
Map will enable a deeper appreciation for the way they portray
complexity. Even though the outsider sees these as messy components or
aspects of the Wicked Problems, each of these elements is carefully
structured, labeled, and often color-coded to articulate the mess map
adequately enough to use it for the next stages.

A Closer View

A Mess Map diagram is comprised of various visual language units
each of which may describe an aspect of the problem, system, or relevant facts.

For example, all of the major organizations
involved in the mess have their place. If there are large numbers of
similar organizations, frequently they can be grouped together as a
sector. These sectors are represented by the "blobs" on the map. We
have described Social Messes as interlinked clusters of problems.
These are always seen from different points of view depending on what
sector or organization is feeling the “pain” of the mess.

Within the sector blobs they are represented as
deeper yellow boxes containing descriptions of the problems as seen
from that point of view. Often we can see that these problems or
issues are held in place by causes of different kinds (rules, customs,
culture, psychological pressure, bureaucratic, statutes, and even
constitutional interpretation and precedent). These causes are
represented by the other little chunks of text on the map. They are
linked to the problems by causal arrows.

We note that the causes of the problems often have
their “source” or powerful rigidity in other sectors or organizations
(that is, other blobs) and, thus, the colored arrows represent causes
crossing these boundaries. Sometimes critical quantitative data
structure the interpretation of the experienced pain or issues (the
green boxes). Thus, multiple systems-to-systems relationships are
presented.

Comments

This is the fifth in a series of "blogicles" on how Mess Mapping™ and Resolution Mapping™
processes that can be used to represent, analyze, evaluate Wicked Problems
and then to choose actions that ameliorate the Wicked Problem at hand.

A Mess Mapping™ process is a set of structured group methods
for collecting, sharing, organizing and evaluating information regarding a Wicked
Problems. A Mess Map™ diagram or mural represents a common mental model of the
problem at hand that shows the important “chunks” of information and their
relationships with other “chunks.”